[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 150 (Thursday, August 3, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47818-47819]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-19697]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Free Trade Area of the Americas

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Joint Government-Private 
Sector Experts Committee on Electronic Commerce (Joint Committee) 
request for public comment on the identification of a private sector 
expert on consumer issues related to electronic commerce who may wish 
to participate in the work of the Joint Committee.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Joint Committee on Electronic Commerce was established by 
the 34 countries in the Western Hemisphere participating in the Free 
Trade Area of the Americas. The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) 
seeks to identify a U.S. private sector expert on consumer issues 
related to electronic commerce who may be interested in

[[Page 47819]]

participating in the work of the Joint Committee. interested members of 
the public are invited to submit written notice of their interest and 
their qualifications.

DATES: Written expressions of interest in participating in the work of 
the Joint Committee should be submitted no later than August 11, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning 
public comments contact Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy 
Staff Committee, Office of the United States Trade Representative, 
(202) 395-9557. All questions concerning the Joint Committee may be 
directed to Regina Vargo, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Western 
Hemisphere, U.S. Department of Commerce (202) 482-5324, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: At the Second Summit of the Americas in 
April 1998, in Santiago, Chile, the 34 democratically elected Western 
Hemisphere leaders initiated negotiations to create the FTAA no later 
than the year 2005. They established nine initial negotiating groups, a 
consultative group, and two committees, one of which is the Joint 
Committee, which began its work in August 1998. The trade ministers 
mandated that both government and private sector experts meet as the 
Joint Committee to make recommendations on how to increase and broaden 
the benefits of electronic commerce; the Joint Committee is not a 
negotiating group. Inclusion of the private sector on the committee is 
consistent with President Clinton's principle that the private sector 
should take the lead in global electronic commerce.
    The Joint Committee was chaired by the government of Barbados 
during the initial 18-month period and will be chaired by an Uruguayan 
private sector representative and vice chaired by a Canadian government 
representative through April 2001. Regina Vargo, Deputy Assistant 
Secretary for the Western Hemisphere, U.S. Department of Commerce, 
leads the joint U.S. government-private sector delegation to the Joint 
Committee.
    Status of Work in the Joint Committee: At the FTAA Ministerial 
meeting in Toronto in November 1999, trade ministers received, and 
released to the public, a report prepared by the Joint Committee 
reflecting its discussions over the preceding 18 months on a broad 
range of electronic commerce issues; its recommendations on increasing 
and broadening the benefits of electronic commerce issues; its 
recommendations on increasing and broadening the benefits of electronic 
commerce were drafted with the full participation of government and 
private sector experts from every region in the Hemisphere. FTAA trade 
ministers committed to share the report and its recommendations with 
other relevant authorities within their governments. They also 
requested that the Joint Committee continue its work as a non-
negotiating group and produce further recommendations over the next 18-
month period. The full report (``Report with Recommendations to 
Ministers,'' FTAA.ecom/01) is available in English and Spanish on the 
official FTAA website (http://www.ftaa-alca.org) and the U.S. 
Government Electronic Commerce website (http://www.ecommerce.gov).
    At the Joint Committee's January meeting in Miami, the Joint 
Committee's private sector and government representatives identified 
issues to be discussed during the next phase of its work. The Joint 
Committee will focus on issues related to access and infrastructure, 
small and medium-size enterprises, authentication, and online payments, 
and consider developments in other areas such as intellectual property, 
taxation and consumer protection. The Joint Committee will make further 
recommendations to trade ministers for their consideration at the next 
FTAA Ministerial meeting in April 2001. At the next meeting, August 28-
30, the Joint Committee will address issues on its workplan including 
authentication and payment systems. Consumer protection issues may also 
rise.
    Private Sector Participating: During the first 18-month period, 13 
U.S. private sector representatives, reflecting a balance of interests 
and electronic commerce issue expertise, participated in the work of 
the Joint Committee. Each representative had responded to notices in 
the Federal Register (63 FR 42090 August 6, 1998 and 64 FR 26811, May 
17, 1999) or a request to official trade advisors inviting expressions 
of interest and qualifications to participate in the work of the Joint 
Committee.
    When the Committee entered its second phase of work, the TPSC 
solicited U.S. private sector interest in participating, taking into 
consideration the current workplan (FR Notice February 29, 2000, Vol. 
65, No. 40). However, the TPSC received no responses from individuals 
with expertise in consumer issues. The newly constituted U.S. private 
sector contingent in the Joint Committee includes 19 participants. The 
TPSC is now seeking to expand private sector participation on the Joint 
Committee to include an expert on consumer issues related to electronic 
commerce.

Public Comments

    The TPSC is seeking to supplement U.S. private sector participation 
on the Joint Committee, to include expertise in consumer issues related 
to electronic commerce. In order to assist the TPSC in identifying U.S. 
private sector expert(s) on consumer issues related to electronic 
commerce, members of the public are invited to submit written notice of 
their interest and describe their qualifications. Qualifications of 
interest include: Demonstrated expertise in one or more aspects of 
electronic commerce and consumer protection; an ability and willingness 
to broadly solicit views from and disseminate information to consumer 
groups; and familiarity with U.S. and foreign trade and investment 
policies and obligations. Knowledge of the Western Hemisphere, 
including established contacts with foreign private sector interests in 
the region, would be helpful.
    Those persons wishing to make written submissions should provide 
twenty (20) typed copies (in English) no later than noon, August 11, 
2000 to Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, 
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Room 122, 600 17th Street, 
NW., Washington, DC 20508.
    Written submission in connection with this request will be 
available for public inspection in the USTR Reading Room, Room 101, 
Office of the United States Trade Representative, 600 17th St., NW., 
Washington, DC. An appointment to review the file may be made by 
calling Brenda Webb, (202) 395-6186. The Reading room is open to the 
public from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon, and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday 
through Friday.

David Walters,
Acting Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 00-19697 Filed 8-2-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3901-01-M